A Peculiar Vacation
by The Clock Strikes Thirteen
Summary: Marley is a twenty year-old university student living with the Evers so that she can continue her studies. What happens when she is invited on the vacation that will change the family's life forever?
1. Chapter 1: Nobody

**_Chapter One: Nobody_**

Jim Evers, co-owner of Evers and Evers real estate knocked on the door of the last room in the upstairs hallway. Soft classical music was playing behind it, and light was shining from underneath the crack, mixing with the red carpet to make an orange shine.

"Marley, you in there?" He asked, getting no reply. He sighed and placed the palm of his hand on the door, leaning against it. It was almost ten o'clock, and the quiet noise was bothering his eldest daughter Megan. He knocked again once, then twice, and finally a third time when the wait was over and a tall girl with dark hair and an angular face opened it.

"Yes Jim?" She asked in her soft voice, pulling the ear buds from her ears. He peered around her, looking at the state of her room.

Their guest room was far from spacious; with only a bed and a dresser, but she had assured him and his beautiful wife Sarah that it would be absolutely fine when they had offered it to her. Calculus books and thick tomes of literature covered every available flat space, and the comforter on the bed was twisted around and untidy. Jim knew that when in college, you didn't have time or energy to be organized, but Marley, the daughter of his wife's good fried Annabelle seemed completely opposed to neatness as a whole.

Marley was going on twenty and was on break from Sanford University. Her mother lived too far away for her to attend, and when Sarah Evers had heard, she insisted on allowing her to stay with them, where she could continue her studies at the school of her dreams. Jim hadn't been fond of the idea, as he didn't really know Annabelle McLaren's only child as well as his wife did, but after a few days; Marley really began to grow on him.

She was a junkie for adventure; always getting herself into things that ordinary people thought should be left alone, like the time she wanted to find out how many steps it took to go around the entire planet. Needless to say, his son Michael had been enthusiastic to help her, while Megan had rolled her eyes and disappeared into her room in a puff of teenage smoke.

But even though Megan's nickname for Marley was 'that weird girl who lives with us', they shared a few similarities that bound them at the hip at certain times. There was no denying that Megan enjoyed having a grown up woman who was not her mother under the same roof. Whether it was boy troubles, confusion about what to wear or simply 'girl talk'-in which Megan would drag Marley from her music and down to the end of the hall, quickly explaining to a bewildered Marley before slamming the door and staying in there for hours on end.

Jim pulled himself from his thoughts and moved back, looking Marley in her brown eyes, trying to make it look like he hadn't just been snooping. She crossed her arms and leaned against the door. "Well, uh, Marley, it's time to go to sleep now." He said and she sighed.

"Do I have to?" She asked in a faux-whiney voice.

"Oh Marley, stop it, you're acting like a five year-old!" Jim exclaimed and Marley smiled.

"And you're acting like a thirty year-old who needs to spend more time with his family." Marley deadpanned and Jim scoffed.

"Don't you go ganging up on me now." Jim said and she rolled her eyes, moving to her stereo and dialing down Beethoven's fifth, turning back to him and placing her hands on her hips. "Don't look at me like that!" He exclaimed and she gave him a goofy grin.

"But seriously, Jim, you need to spend more time with Sarah; hell your whole family would be nice." She told him and he held his hands up in surrender.

"You may be on summer break, I have work." He said and she looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Then take them on Friday, spend a weekend at the lake!" She suggested and he looked unsure.

"Well, it has been a while since we went on a family adventure." He said and she smiled.

"You see? You'll appease Sarah, who's ready to blow, and you'll get to spend some quality time with your kids, it's a win-win situation!" She said happily and he shook his head.

"Yeah, well, we'll see I have to show a very unstable wife and her very picky husband some houses tomorrow; I don't think I'll have the time." He replied and she shrugged.

"You're Jim Evers, you'll make time." He looked flattered at her compliment but still didn't know if he'd be able to pull it off.

"Fine but if we go, you're coming with us." He stated and she raised her eyebrows.

"Well I can't torch the house and pillage your belongings if I'm with you can I?" She asked and he tried in vain not to smile but failed.

"Then that settles it, we'll shove you in the trunk and you'll be a part of our family adventure, now get to bed!" He exclaimed and she smiled, shutting off her side-table lamp and pulled back her white covers, climbing into bed, not bothering to change out of her purple skirt and black button-up blouse.

"Goodnight, Jim." She called out as he left, shutting the overhead light off as he went, waving his hand in farewell.

"Marley! Where's the whisk?" Sarah Evers called from the kitchen, her voice carrying into the dining room where a frantic university student was setting places for a romantic candlelit dinner for two.

It was Jim and Sarah's anniversary and Sarah had the wonderful thought of making dinner for the two of them. She enlisted Marley to help her with the cooking and setting the table, as it was a big job and as Sarah had no clue where the salad fork went or how to make cheese soufflé. In all honesty, Marley didn't know either, but all it took was a visit to Google and she was an expert.

"It's in the baking drawer!" She called back, laying a fork down on a cream-coloured napkin, placing two crystal glasses beside the china plates and lighting the candles in the centre of the table; giving the dining room a strange glow. Marley heard the sound of rummaging through cabinets and Sarah's frantic groan.

"It's not here!" She replied and Marley sighed, putting the bottle of champagne on the table and jogging into the kitchen. She had a red skirt and a white blouse on today, and the combination of fire and New Jersey summers had her sweating. As she ran back to her mom's friend, she unbuttoned her crisp dress shirt and shrugged it off, tossing it in the general direction of the hamper and pulled down her white undershirt so it covered her stomach.

"Oh god, Sarah, it's in your hand!" Marley cried as she pushed the kitchen door open to see the beautiful African-American wife of Jim Evers leaning over an open drawer, digging around hysterically. She stopped when Marley told her this and straightened up, looking to her right hand where the chrome metal baking tool was clenched firmly in her fist. Her face lit up in a smile revealing a set of pearly teeth and a soft laughter emitted from her.

"I'm sorry Marley; I'm just so frazzled right now!" Sarah exclaimed and Marley smiled back at her reassuringly.

"It's okay Sarah… what are you doing!?" She cried as she saw the pot behind her mother's friend bubbling over. The co-owner of Evers and Evers real estate turned and cried out in shock. She grasped the whisk and began to stir the pot, taking it off the heat.

"Oh no! I thought I took the egg mixture off the heat five minutes ago!" She exclaimed and Marley was finding it hard not to laugh.

"Don't worry, it's savable." Marley said, rushing towards the woman, taking the pot from her hands and opening the fridge, setting it down and grabbing the milk of the second shelf. She opened the lid and poured some in, mixing it with the slightly burned soufflé base.

"Well, at least it will look nice." Sarah said, calming down a little.

"Here, pour this into the baking dish, and remember, 375 degrees, okay?" Marley asked and Sarah nodded. Marley handed her the pot, smiled and turned to leave. "If you need me, I'll be chilling champagne." She called behind her shoulder and Sarah went back to making dinner.

At eight-thirty, Sarah sat down in her pink cardigan and dress pants as Marley relit the candles and poured the champagne. "Will that be all Mrs. Evers?" She asked in a fake British accent and Sarah smiled.

"Yes, Miss. McLaren, I will remain here." She replied in the same bad accent, making the younger woman giggle.

"Okay, you hang tight; I got macaroni and cheese to dish out to two kids upstairs and a movie to watch with them." She replied and Sarah nodded.

"Bedtime for all of you is at ten." She reminded Marley, who groaned.

"I'm telling you; moving into this house robbed me of my dignity, I am reduced to going to bed at ten! Oh the injustice!" Marley said dramatically and Sarah smiled, shaking her head.

"You're only twenty!" Sarah cried and Marley waved a dismissive hand.

"And you won't let me forget it!" Marley replied, hopping up the stairs into Michael's room.

"Hey Mikey!" She said and he turned from his video game to look at her. She produced a bowl and a fork and gave it to him, which he took with a smile. She set Megan's portion on the table and walked over to the wall, knocking twice. Two minutes later, the cocoa-skinned teenager hopped through the door as well, picking up her supper. She plunked down on the bed next to her dark-haired friend and brother as the opening credits began to roll for their favourite film.

Marley didn't hear Jim come home from work until it was almost nine. Needless to say, Sarah was unimpressed. Megan has stalked off to her room by then, Sarah and Jim were talking, Michael was back playing video games and Marley was dancing in her room again.

Bach played softly from the stereo in the corner as Marley held her arms aloft so that they rested on invisible shoulders. She twirled around the room as shouting was heard below her feet. She stopped dead when she heard Sarah reach an octave that she didn't know humans could hit; even when their pissed beyond all consolation.

She didn't lower her arms, but she did stomp on the carpeted ground with her left foot, telling the couple below to quiet their voices so that Megan and Michael didn't hear. It worked, much to her surprise, and she shook her head, looking at the ground and then back up to her invisible waltzing partner.

"I'm telling you, they better keep their voices down! Their bickering is worrying the children, not to mention myself!" She exclaimed to thin air. She spun around again and did not lower her arms or make any motion to cease her bizarre action when Megan opened the door without knocking.

"Marley I-" The thirteen year-old stopped when she saw her older friend staring dreamily off into space, twirling around as if dancing with air and humming softly to the classical piece that just began to play, looking every inch like a crazy person. "Marley, what are you doing?" She asked dully and Marley sighed, smiling lightly.

"I'm dancing." She replied and Megan's eyes widen as she took a step back, slowly leaving the room.

"With who?" She asked in a tentative voice, as though Marley might become angry with her question. This did not happen. In fact, Marley didn't even look at her as she replied.

"Nobody." She said in a far-away voice. Megan didn't know what the dark-haired twenty year-old was thinking, but it was definitely not normal. She backed up a few more seconds and clutched her cellphone.

"Okay then… Dad's taking us to the lake tomorrow, so… I guess you'd better pack." She said quickly, leaving the room as fast as possible, shutting the door behind her.

When she was gone, Marley lowered her arms, softly chuckling at Megan's reaction to the way she spent her free time. It's no secret that Marley liked Megan very much and vice versa, but Marley couldn't resist having a little fun with her, even if it was unintentional. She turned to her cupboard and opened the drawers, taking out blouses and skirts, throwing them on her unmade bed with the occasional pair of jeans. She then reached the very back and pulled out her suitcase. She unzipped the lid and laid it down on her floor, folding her garments and laying them in the case. She shut it when she was finished and looked to her dresser.

Sitting on the varnished wood surface was a silver locket. She pressed her thumb on the button on the front and the necklace opened; revealing four picture-holders. On the right was her mother; an aged woman with the same hair as her daughter; dark as jet turbulence with glittering brown eyes and pale skin. On the left was a picture of her father, gone from this earth but never he never left her. He was polar opposites of his daughter, with gleaming blue eyes, tanned skin and sandy hair. The remaining two frames were empty, as she had no siblings or other family. She shut the locket with a smile and strung it around her neck.

"I'm not leaving you behind mommy and daddy, don't worry." She lifted the shining pendant to her lips and pressed a soft kiss to it, turning back to her bed. She moved her suitcase away from her sleeping area and lay down, closing her eyes and falling asleep instantly; not caring that is was only nine-forty-five at night.

"Come on, Jim! You're going to make us late!" Marley yelled from the family car's backseat. She was squished in-between Michael and Megan, and although she thought they were great kids, she was a tall woman, and her legs were starting to cramp.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Jim hollered, jogging out of the house with Sarah behind him who locked the door and pocketed the key. "I just had to… have a chat with Sarah." He told her as he slid behind the wheel; buckling his seat belt. Marley rolled her eyes, looking from his reflection I the rear-view mirror to Michael, who had opened a chocolate bar. Her stomach rumbled and he looked to her, sighing and reaching into his bag, taking out another one for her. She smiled at him and accepted it, turning back to his father.

"Yeah right Mr. 'please let me take this phone call, Sarah'." Marley said and the real estate agent looked embarrassed.

"You heard that?" He asked and she nodded, opening her chocolate bar and taking a small bite.

"Jim, I think the whole neighborhood heard it." She replied and he sneered a little, looking to the next-door neighbor's house where an elderly woman was glaring at him.

"Alright then, let's get this family adventure on the road!" He exclaimed and Marley shook her head, smiling at his enthusiasm.

They drove for thirty-five minutes before Megan looked out the window, puzzled about something. "Where are we going dad?" She asked when she realized that this was not the beaten path to the lake that they so frequently took. Jim looked away from the road to her, and he seemed to be kicking himself.

"Well, uh… Megan, dad needs to make a little pit stop off in Louisiana." He said with fake cheerfulness in his voice and his daughter's mouth dropped open.

"What?!" She asked and began to freak out. Marley was surprised that they would go so far away for just a business deal, but she'd always wanted to see Louisiana, and if they were going to a mansion, then it would be double the visual awesomeness!

Marley knew it would be quite a long drive to get all the way to Louisiana, so as Jim explained the dilemma to his family, she closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto the seat. Soon, her breathing evened out and her eyes didn't open. She slept for most of the way there.


	2. Chapter 2: Awesome

**_Chapter Two: Awesome_**

"Mom, Dad, I think Marley's dead!" Megan called from her open window to her parents. Both turned away from the rusty gate that served as a road block between them and Gracey Manor back to their daughter and the sound asleep woman in the backseat. Sarah suppressed a smile as Michael shook his friend's shoulder roughly.

"Wake up Marley, we're here!" He yelled in her face and got no results. He tried again to no avail and Megan was getting fed up.

"Rise and shine, Marlene!" The teenager said in a teasing voice. That seemed to do the trick as Marley's eyes shot open and she sat straight up. Her head snapped back to Megan and she pointed a finger at her.

"NEVER SPEAK OF THAT AGAIN!" She exclaimed and Megan rolled her eyes.

"Yeah sure, Marlene." She replied and Marley growled a little bit but her attention was called away when the sound of an impossibly old gate opening was heard. She swiveled her gaze to straight ahead as she saw a large, rusty gate creaking forward to reveal a car path. Sarah and Jim walked back to the car; with Jim very happy about the fact that he wouldn't go on vacation with his primal business need unsatisfied.

"Alight, we're in business!" He said, rubbing his hands together in glee, starting the car and driving past the gate.

Marley watched in awe as the scenery of a green, dirty bayou passed by her car window. _Why on earth would someone have a bayou in their front lawn? _She asked herself. Marley had a small fear of water, and the mere thought of having a swimming pool instead of a nice plot of grass and possible a few rose bushes was positively ludicrous.

"Bob Vila would have a field day with this place." He said, looking at the state of disrepair the place was. Michael reached up and grabbed hold of Marley's hand, looking up at her.

"Who's Bob Vila?" The little boy asked and she shrugged.

"No clue." She replied and he nodded. Megan got out of the car behind him and closed the door loudly, alerting a lecture from Jim.

"Hey, Megan, don't slam the door like that, it's very sensitive!" He began and Marley sighed.

"It's a car, dad." She replied flatly and Jim appeared to be offended.

"Ah! It's not just a car; it's a very delicate piece of machinery." He said, putting his hands on the roof. "She didn't mean what she just said." He reassured the hunk on metal and Marley smiled, letting go of Michael's hand and walking around back.

"Whatever you prefer, Jim, just remember that you can't legally marry a car!" She called over her shoulder and the business man put his hands on his hips.

"She's just teasing you honey. Come on kids." Sarah said, following their family friend. Jim huffed and followed behind his children, who were complaining about being hungry.

"This will only take twenty minutes, tops." Jim said and Marley silently thanked whatever power is up there that they wouldn't be stuck near that bayou for too long.

"Hey dad, when we get to the lake, can we go to that pizza shop by the pond and remember when we got back to the cabin I threw up, can we go there?" Michael asked and Marley pretended to gag.

"Oh god, Michael, don't you remember how everything tasted like rat crap there? Why on earth would you want to go back?" The university student inquired and he shrugged.

"I don't, I'm just trying to get dad to see how hungry I am." He explained and Marley nodded, turning her head back to the backyard. She took one look at the graveyard and a smile crept across her face.

"Cool." She whispered. Nobody heard her, instead, Jim spoke up.

"Wow." He said, summing up all the bewildered emotions into a single syllable. "Now that's something you don't see every day." Marley agreed and Megan can up behind them, her eyes bugging out at the sight.

"Oh. My. God." She said slowly. "Dead people?" She asked and Jim looked a little freaked out.

"Hey, honey, you know they have dead people in the backyard." He said, causing Sarah to come over and get a closer look.

"Meh, sure beats the crap out of a swimming pool." Marley confessed, crossing her arms over her chest, her head cocked to the side in wonder.

_It would be easier to have daddy buried in the backyard, that way I didn't have to drive all the way to the cemetery and they couldn't tell me when I had to leave. _She thought.

"You're going to sell a house with _this_!" Megan asked and Jim looked skeptical.

"You mean this historical, sprawling manor with spacious grounds? Yes." Jim replied in a heartbeat and Marley looked impressed.

"I stand by my original belief Jim; you could sell your ass if you wanted to." Marley said and he straightened his tie, looking pleased. At that very second, lightning flashed over head and storm clouds that Jim had dismissed earlier as 'just mother nature trying to dampen our spirits' began to dampen their clothes considerably.

"Oh no, I got my good suit on!" Jim exclaimed as they made a run for the house and Marley scoffed.

"I should be worrying! Do you know how hard it is to find a 50's circle skirt at the thrift shop? Next to impossible!" She exclaimed, trying to hop over the puddles and keep her black garment clean.

"Marley, I'd be more worried about my red blouse, it's going to wrinkle in this weather!" Sarah told her as they sped up the front steps. Marley rolled up the wet sleeves and unbuttoned the front, which was now beyond soaked.

"Sorry Sarah, I'll get it dry-cleaned when we get out of here." Marley told her and the real estate agent smiled in agreement.

"Do you think it's going to stop?" Megan asked as Jim knocked on the door.

"I hope it's not raining at the lake!" Sarah replied.

"Now you kids know that when you're working with mom and dad that you're always on your best behaviour, right?" Jim asked, looking from his son to his daughter to Marley, who looked offended.

"That is so mean!" Marley cried and he shrugged.

"I can't trust you to know that on your own, sorry." He apologized and Marley scoffed. He looked back to the door and pointed at the metal hangers. "Look at the size of these knockers!" He said. "Have you ever seen anything like that before?" The family shook their heads no and Marley did as well.

"It is a really cool door." She admitted as Jim shouted something. It was beginning to rain harder and Marley wanted nothing more than to dry off. Jim banged on the door again and Marley didn't bother to suppress a sigh of relief when it finally swung open with a creak.

Marley eighty-sixed her manners and ran inside as soon as the crack was big enough, gesturing for the family, who was more polite to follow.

"Hello?" Jim called tentatively, taking a step inside. The rest of his family followed suit and Marley took into account all the dust and cobwebs.

"Hmm, I wonder how much dead skin had to be generated to make all this dust." Marley wondered out loud.

"Smells like grandma's house." Megan said and Michael disagreed.

"Worse, smells like grandma!" He retaliated and Marley laughed.

"It's just a little dusty, now we get a cleaning crew to come here and shine it up, this place would be sparkling from top to bottom." Jim assured them. Michael looked to the left, noticing a spider's web and backed up into Marley.

"This place has spiders!" He said, fear creeping into his voice.

"Don't worry dude, just remember that you have ten fingers and toes instead of eight legs." Marley replied and Jim smiled. A cold breeze that blew from the hallway in front of her made Marley shiver and she craned her neck to look down it, and she jumped as a blue light went on and an old man walking towards them in a dark blue suite could be seen.

His movements were robotic, almost as if he hadn't used his joints for many years, but this came as no surprise to Marley; she took into account his age, the white hair and wrinkles were distinguishable from all the way down the corridor and she wondered how he managed to keep going.

He reached them quickly and greeted only Mrs. Evers. "Sarah Evers?" He asked and she nodded. "My name is Ramsley." He replied, rolling the R at the beginning of his name slightly. Jim looked to his wife, and then back to the old man; his face lighting up in a million-watt smile.

"Hello Ramsley, I'm Jim Evers of Evers and Evers real estate at your service." He said, extending his hand to shake. The old man did not accept it, in fact he looked annoyed.

"We were not expecting… others." He said slowly and Jim seemed a tad put-off. Jim lowered his hand as Sarah explained our dilemma, Jim playing it up perfectly with a shower of compliments, followed by some sheer ass-ness.

He moved us closer, his smile brightening as he reached into his coat. "Because at Evers and Evers, we want you to be happy for Evers and Evers, please accept this waterproof calendar as a token of our appreciation." He said, holding it out to him, which the man hesitantly took and Marley rolled her eyes.

"You're being a tit, Jim." She hissed quietly and he gave her a warning glare.

"Very well, we shall have to place other settings." He said, turning back down the hallway and leading us. Sarah's reaction to this wasn't positive whereas Marley was slightly pleased, she like this old house, dusty as it was, it excited her that she'd get to see a little more.

"What are the other settings for?" Jim asked and Ramsley did not turn around, he just droned on in his posh British accent.

"Master Gracey wishes to discuss his affairs over dinner." He replied solemnly and Sarah protested.

"Oh, I'm afraid we have plans, honey, we can't stay for dinner." She said, looking to her husband who smiled.

"Oh yes, but we mustn't be rude darling." He replied and she looked unsure.

"What about our family adventure?" Megan asked and he shushed her.

"We'll just have some soup and then we'll get going, okay?" He asked and Marley nodded. Marley smiled as she saw the suits of armor, she loved the old fashioned feel they brought and even though it kind of felt like they were watching her; she still liked the chainmail.

The group reached a door reached a door which Ramsley opened, and lead the family and their friend into a lavish dining room. A large fireplace was lit on one wall with a long, wooden table set up with china dishes and silverware in the center. It reminded Marley a bit of _Beauty and the Beast_.

"How lovely, Ramsley, this is gorgeous!" Marley exclaimed and he looked faintly pleased.

"Thank you, Miss.' He said slowly and Jim nodded.

"Hey, Megan, how'd you like to eat like this every day at home?" Jim asked an it was obvious that his daughter wasn't too keen on that idea.

"The Master will be with you shortly." Ramsley informed them and Jim dismissed him. The man, who was obviously a butler, bowed slightly and walked off, much to Jim's delight.

Sarah and Marley approached the fire place and Marley rested her hand on the wood framing. She couldn't deny its beauty, as much care was obviously put into it, but it seemed that Sarah was more passionate about it.

"Seriously, look at this detail!" She exclaimed when Jim seemed unimpressed and Marley smiled.

"It's truly beautiful, isn't it Sarah?" Marley asked and she nodded. "It almost reminds me of you'd see at Buckingham palace." The university student admitted and Sarah smiled back at her. Marley looked up to the ceiling and gasped when she saw an ornate, crystal chandelier hanging. She was mesmerized by it and walked closer to the table to be underneath it, not taking her eyes off of it.

"I've never seen anything like this." Sarah said and a flash of lighting was seen out of the corner of Marley's eye. She didn't look away from the chandelier, she remained fixed on it; she'd never seen one before, and it glittered like diamonds in the firelight.

"Haven't you?" A voice as smooth as velvet with a British accent asked. "My grandfather spared no expense when he built this mansion." It continued but Marley did not look away.

"Well your grandfather had really good taste in tchotchkes!" Marley heard Jim say.

"Edward, Edward Gracey." The voice replied quickly when Jim introduced himself. After an awkward pause, Jim called over his wife and kids, introducing them as well.

"This is our daughter Megan and our son Michael." Marley heard Sarah say and she was unaware when the person named Edward turned to her curiously.

"Who is the young lady?" She heard the voice ask and she snapped out of it, turning to where the voice came from, her eyes resting on a handsome man with brown hair and a royal blue waistcoat.

"Well, she's a family… acquaintance." Jim replied and Sarah slapped his arm.

"Jim, don't be rude, he didn't mean that, you're definitely a friend!" Sarah called to Marley who smiled and walked closer to the man, not offering her hand to shake as he didn't look like that kind of guy.

"I'm Marley McLaren." Marley said and Megan smirked.

"Her real name's Marlene." She said and it looked as though a blood vessel popped in the students face. She turned to the teenager with a stony look on her face and gate in her eyes.

"You spoke of it." She said in a deadly whisper. "I'll do away with you later." She said and she looked back to Master Gracey, who had a faint smile on his lips.

"Marley is the daughter of my dear friend, Annabelle; she's living with us while she attends university." The Master looked slightly impressed when Sarah said this.

"Children, Madam, Miss." Ramsley said from the other end of the living room, calling them over. Marley smiled warmly at him, but it fell when she didn't receive one from the butler.

He pulled out an ornate chair for the children to sit in while complaining in the politest way possible about the 'disturbances'. "Thank you Ramsley." Marley said to him when he pulled her chair out. She sat down and noticed that she was seated closest to Master Gracey, only a place away.

"What do you think of the house, Miss Evers?" Master Gracey asked and she smiled.

"Oh,I think it's absolutely incredible, you don't seen houses like these, or at least I don't." She said and he smiled.

"Great care and love went into the building of this mansion." He replied and then turned to Marley.

"What do you think of my home?" He asked her and she shrugged.

"I could sit here all day and try to find the words to describe how beautiful it is, but I won't because I'll fall asleep." She replied and he smiled softly at her in turn. She looked from his face to his jacket, her eyes widening. "Dude, where did you get that jacket?" Marley asked and he looked down at it as well.

"It was made for me a long time ago, why do you ask?" He questioned sounding suspicious and she grinned.

"Because it's made of awesome!" She replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world and he smiled again at her.

Marley looked up from the pretty table cloth to the frog-eyed maid with reddish-brown hair who was pouring a hot, creamy soup into her bowl and then to the old but not Ramsley-old man who was pushing a cart with a big silver pot on it. Marley closed her eyes and randomly chose a spoon; an act that made the Master chuckle a little bit and took a taste.

It was absolute heaven for the chill that had yet to go away and instantly warmed her. She put the spoon down and looked back up to the maid.

"Miss?" She asked quietly and it seemed that the woman didn't hear.

"Emma." The Master said in an authorative tone and Marley nodded in thanks.

"Yes, what's wrong?" The lady asked quickly and Marley almost giggled at her nervous, high-pitched voice.

"Nothing, it's just that the soup is delicious, I was wondering if I could have a copy of the recipe?" Marley inquired and Emma looked relieved but a bit sad.

"I'm sorry, but Grandma would have my head if I gave away the family recipe." She said and Marley nodded.

"I get it, don't worry, but it's fantastic." Marley said brightly and Emma smiled.

Dinner proceeded as usual until the entrée. _Oh god. _Marley thought as lids were lifted off silver trays to reveal Chicken Cordon Bleu. Marley was a vegetarian, and the sight of animal carcass in food made her a tad sick. She didn't want to be rude or cause a fuss, so she put her fork down and just made small talk with Edward.

Ezra, however, noticed what the Master failed to.

"Young lady!" He said in his nagging, adorable voice and she looked to him from Edward. He had drawn her away from an interesting conversation and she was the teensiest bit annoyed, but mostly hungry. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation Miss, but you haven't touched your dinner." He said and Marley flushed a little.

_I had to be so damn obvious. _Marley thought and she sighed. Mr. Gracey leaned forward a little bit and noticed that she hadn't eaten any of it as well.

"He's right, are you feeling ill?" He asked and Marley flushed a little darker.

"No, I'm fine but… I'm a vegetarian, I don't eat meat." Marley said and Ezra nodded.

"Alright, we'll just get you something else then." Ezra said like it was no big deal. Marley didn't want to make them make anything else. Chicken Cordon Bleu is a bitch to make, ask any chefs, they obviously worked hard on this, and her hunger would just have to wait.

"Oh, no it's alright, I'm not hungry." Marley replied and the other butler shrugged.

"Just come by the kitchen if you get hungry." Emma said and Marley nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said and the two hustled off who knows where. "So, Mr. Gracey, how did your grandfather ever manage to build such an exquisite manor?" Marley asked and the Master almost smiled.

"I'm so glad you asked."


	3. Chapter 3: Exploring

**_Chapter Three: Exploring_**

"I don't believe it!" Marley cried.

"I do not tell lies, Miss McLaren, it is quite true." Master Gracey replied and she shook her head.

"You mean he… oh god, that's sick!" She exclaimed, making the man almost next to her smile.

"I suppose it is a bit disturbing." He said quietly and her mouth dropped open.

"A bit? A BIT?!" She told him, sounding hysterical. Edward's smile turned to soft laughter as she ranted about how twisted the subject of his story was.

"Well, that was… interesting, new topic then?" Jim asked and Marley immediately nodded.

"Yes, I agree, let's do it!" She said quickly, thinking for a second about something less nasty. "Why do you want to sell the house?" Marley asked and Master Gracey sat back in his chair.

"This house is my inheritance, my birthright, but lately… it's become too much to bear." He said solemnly and Marley gave him a sympathetic look.

"I know just what you mean; it was the same way with my third husband." She said sadly and his eyes shot to her.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked and she collapsed into a fit of robust giggles.

"I'm just teasing!" Marley said through peals of laughter and Master Gracey sighed, shaking his head as he looked to Jim.

"Tell me, Mr. Evers, do you believe in ghosts?" He asked uncomfortably and Jim looked a little nervous.

"Ghosts? Yeah, sure, I believe in them. I don't think it's a good idea to put that information on the listing though." He warned the Master. "You should talk about how many bathrooms are in the house, the female buyers love bathrooms!" He exclaimed and Marley rolled her eyes.

"Okay, great, all you need is a rich family of lesbian's and you're set for a sale, Mr. Gracey!" She said sarcastically and Michael snorted in supressed laughter while Megan smirked.

Awkward silence reigned supreme until Ramsley looked outside the window.

"The storm was swollen the river!" He announced and Marley's eyes widened.

"WHAT!?" Marley asked and he turned slowly to look at her.

"The storm had flooded the road. I'm afraid there will be no leaving the mansion tonight." He stated and she threw up her hands in defeat.

"You know" She began, looking to Mr. Gracey. "This would not have happened if you didn't have a bayou for a front lawn!" She said and Jim gave her a warning glare.

"Of course, you are all more than welcome to spend the night here." Master Gracey said and Sarah was quick to disagree again.

"Oh, no, I really don't think we should, we've got plans." As she said this, Mr. Gracey's body went rigid and he gripped the arms of his chair so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white. Only Marley saw this and she wondered why he was so pissed.

"I'm afraid there is no other way. Ramsley will show you to your rooms." He said almost angrily, standing and leaving them to follow the older man.

Ramsley led them upstairs and showed Mr. and Mrs. Ever and their children to their respective rooms and he took Marley to the last on the hall. She opened the door with a creak and stepped inside the lovely, spacious room.

A bed with a red comforter sat on one end and a tidy desk was pushed against the wall. A large dresser took up some space to the left and a window dominated the far wall. She took a few steps in and admired it, a smiling taking over her face.

"I trust you'll be comfortable here?" Ramsley asked and she turned to him, beaming.

"I love it, thank you." She said and he inclined his head, turning to leave.

When he had gone, Marley shut the door and ran towards the bed, jumping up and flopping down on it, messing it up so that it was like home. She noticed a window was open and she shivered but she made no movement to close it. Rain, as silly as it sounded to her, scared her very much, water is water.

Instead, she turned to the dresser and opened one of the drawers. Her smile returned when she saw that it was full of the waistcoats Mr. Gracey had worn at dinner. She carefully chose a red one and put it on. She turned her head to the side to look at the desk and as she did, she realized that the jacket smelled exactly like the Master.

To be perfectly honest, she loved the way he smelled, musky and masculine. It comforted her in a strange sort of way, as all of Mr. Gracey's talk of ghosts and the like had saddened her greatly with thoughts of her dad.

Marley paced around the room, getting more and more bored with every second.

"Oh god, this is agony!" she cried. "How long have I been here?" she asked out loud and turned to the clock. She crossed her arms and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. "Five minutes? Really?" she exclaimed, sighing and sitting down on the bed.

She huffed and lay down, intent on going to sleep, but all she got was an irritable attitude. She stood up again and looked to the window, rain was still splattering it and she refused to get any closer than three meters.

"I'm sure Ramsley wouldn't mind if I did some exploring." she stated to herself, walking towards the door, and grasping the handle. She took a deep breath and opened the creaking piece of wood, stepping out into the hallway.

The Manor was exceedingly old, or at least Mr. Gracey told her so, so it made sense that the house would have thin walls. Even from the end of the hall, she was able to hear the Evers adults having a screaming match.

Marley shook her head and walked briskly down the hall, trying to find the foyer and then hopefully the kitchen. She hopped down the main staircase, glad that she didn't get lost, and was happy to see Emma and Ezra dusting down below.

"Hello!" Marley called down to them and their gaze shot up to her, worried expressions on their faces.

"What is she doing out of her room?" Ezra asked his friend and she told him she didn't know.

"I was just a little bored and thought I'd explore." Marley said to them and Emma looked scared. She nervously twitched, looking back and forth around the room as though something evil lurked in the shadows.

"This house is old and in many ways, frightening, you should just go back to your room." the maid told her and Marley shook her head.

"Can't I hang out with you guys?" Marley asked and Emma thought for a moment, obviously she was trying to keep her away from somewhere, but where?

"Well, I was going to make some cookies for the children, I suppose grandma would spare me if I allowed you to help." she said and Marley smiled.

"Great, Ezra, will you help too?" Marley asked and he shook his head.

"Absolutely not! I am a man, and men don't bake cookies!" he said firmly and Marley frowned.

"Well whatever, but you won't get to have any because you won't help." Marley said matter-of-factly and Ezra looked thoughtful.

"Never mind, I have armor to polish." He said and walked away. Emma took Marley's arm and the girl sighed.

"We'll bake the loathsome underhanded monster his own batch." She said, turning to Emma who smiled. Marley stopped about halfway down the hall to realize that she was walking very fast and dragging the poor maid with her. "Uh, Emma, maybe you should lead, I'm going to get lost." She said and the twitchy woman laughed, moving to the front and leading her down an ungodly amount of hallways and staircases.

Marley thought she was going to die of exhaustion when they finally reached a set of large, wooden French doors. Emma pushed her black-dress and white-apron clad shoulder against them and after a little fuss, they creaked open so loudly that Marley was sure she'd go deaf.

"Well, here we are!" Chirped an excited Emma, who took the first steps into the dusty, ancient kitchen.

"Well, it needs dusting, but other than that, it's got a certain homey charm." Marley replied and Emma gave her another smile.

"It's been here since the house was built." The maid said and Marley nodded.

"I can see that." She replied as Emma bustled over to a cabinet, one of many in fact, and opened the doors. She raised her hands above her head and grabbed something from a high shelf. She set the object in front of her and as Marley got closer, she saw that it was a recipe tin.

Emma opened the lid and ran her fingers over the pieces of paper, humming quietly to herself until she found the right one. "Aha! Grandma's brown sugar cookies!" She said happily and Marley clapped a bit at her success.

"Alright then, what do we need?" Marley asked and Emma glanced at the recipe.

"You get a saucepan, two bowls, a spoon and a whisk; I'll deal with the ingredients." Emma ordered and Marley set off, running about the large kitchen, opening and closing drawers and cabinets, accumulating tools as she went along.

Marley set them own on the counter top which was also occupying Emma's ingredients, and she peered over the maid's shoulder to look at the recipe.

"Do you mind?" The woman asked and Marley backed away a step, and then went to the other side of the table.

"Sorry, so what can I do?" Marley asked and Emma put down the recipe card and handed her a bowl.

"Cream together the butter and sugar, when you're done, tell me." She ordered and Marley did so as Emma took the other bowl and cracked the eggs into it with one hand. The maid added flour to this, as well as baking powder and salt. When Marley was done, she handed the other woman the bowl, who poured it into the rest of the mixture.

"What now?" Marley asked and she got no answer, only a bowl and a whisk shoved in her face.

"Whisk that while I get a baking sheet." Emma responded and Marley did so. After a while, her arm began to hurt, but the thick dough wasn't anywhere near done. While Emma was busy prepping the oven, Marley snuck a quick taste of the raw batter, her eyes widening at how amazing it was, despite being uncooked. She began to whisk again when Emma looked back to her with a suspicious gleam in her eye, and she snatched the bowl away Marley dared to take another taste when she thought the maid wasn't looking.

"Don't do that!" The woman exclaimed and Marley groaned as the batter was dropped onto the baking sheet and thrust into the oven. "They'll be about fifteen minutes, that's all it takes." Emma said in response to Marley's upset pout at having her bowl taken away.

"Oh well, when they're done, maybe I can bring some back to my mommy, she absolutely loves cookies." Marley said, brightening and Emma smiled.

"That sounds nice, I don't mean to brag, but Grandma won many blue ribbons for her brown sugar cookies." Emma said with an air of self-confidence and Marley giggled, she rather liked this bubbly, frog-like woman.

_She's just so strange, it's quite refreshing. _Marley thought with a smile as the maid in question flew about the room, trying to find her platter.

"I swear, it was just on the counter a few minutes ago!" The brown-haired woman said in frustration. Marley hopped off of her seat and began to look around, sighing in relief when they found that the stray platter had fallen off the wood counter top and hidden underneath the counter.

"It's like it knows." Marley said in a creepy voice and Emma gave her a strange look before her eyes widened. She turned around and ran towards the oven as fast as her dress would allow her and threw open the doors, removing the cookies and setting them down on the table.

"We don't want them to burn… and don't touch them! You'll hurt yourself!" Emma exclaimed when Marley reached her hand out to grab one, causing her to immediately jerk back and almost hit herself in the eye. Emma gasped and tried to hide a smile behind her hand as Marley glared at her.

"Never do that again, okay?" Marley asked rhetorically, checking to see that her wrist wasn't broken. "I'm going to go check out the rest of the house." Marley said, standing up and skipping out of the room. Sure, she was hungry, but this place was just too awesome.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to?" She heard a voice that belonged distinctively to Master Gracey when she got back to the main hall and she turned to see Sarah shaking her head and walking briskly out of the room.

"No Mr. Gracey, I really should go find my husband." The woman said and the man looked upset. He walked back into his office, sighing and never seeing Marley. She wondered what was wrong and decided to find out.

"Hey, Mr. Gracey?" She asked, loitering in the door and he looked up from the stack of books he was moving. He didn't return her smile, which put her off a bit but she took a step closer. "Is everything okay?" Marley inquired and he sighed again, nodding.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine… what on earth are you wearing?" He asked and she looked down at the red jacket and open red blouse.

"Oh, I was cold and I found this jacket in my room, isn't it cool?" She asked striking a pose and he nodded.

"I should hope so, it's mine." He said and her eyes widened. She instantly moved to take it off but he stopped her. "No, I must say, it looks better on you." He says and she stared at him for a second before turning away, blushing like mad.

_Well done, Edward, you've gone and embarrassed her. What on earth is wrong with you?! _He thought to himself, mentally kicking himself in the shins. In all honesty, he hadn't meant to say that, it just slipped out.

"Thanks, I guess." Marley said, glad that her brief flush had faded. "Hey, can I use your phone?" She asked, spying the old-fashioned device on his table and he nodded.

"As you wish."


End file.
